We left the US in the evening and we landed in Amsterdam in the morning. From North America to Europe in 6 hours and 30 minutes. Schiphol Airport was big and well organized and much busier than the Boston Logan Airport. To get to the city center from Schiphol Airport, we had to take the train which was easily accessible from the airport. We took the direct train to Amsterdam Cenraal Station. One way ticket was around €6.
It was a beautiful morning, I was sleepy because I did not sleep on the plane, all I did was watch movies...but once I was in the city center, I felt awake and energized. Travel instinct kicked in. From Centraal Station, it was a 20-minute walk to our hostel located still in the city center. I followed the map on my phone until we got to our hostel. We signed in, and placed our backpacks then we went out to explore and find some food.
It was a beautiful morning, I was sleepy because I did not sleep on the plane, all I did was watch movies...but once I was in the city center, I felt awake and energized. Travel instinct kicked in. From Centraal Station, it was a 20-minute walk to our hostel located still in the city center. I followed the map on my phone until we got to our hostel. We signed in, and placed our backpacks then we went out to explore and find some food.
First thing I noticed is the number of rusted bikes chained to the canal fences. Some bikes looked like they were chained for over 20 years. The canals added beauty to the city for sure. Because it was winter, not many boats were running on the canal, but I could imagine how it would be in the summer.
After lunch, I went for some sleep. I woke up in the evening and went out for dinner. We noticed many Turkish Shawarma and Kebab restaurants in the center of Amsterdam. Clearly the Turkish population is big in Amsterdam. We also noticed Moroccan shops, but not as many as Turkish ones.
We got back to the hostel and socialized in the social area of the hostel. I was told that to find Dutch culture, a person must go to small cities away from Amsterdam.
Staying at hostels has many good benefits. One of them is meeting people from different countries and hearing their stories. We meet a guy from Venezuela who told us about the hard life in Venezuela and why he decided to leave the country to travel and find a better life. He was struggling because jobs were scarce for those without resident documents or work visas. It made me realize again, that there are many people struggling out there and we in the US are very lucky to have opportunities that many wish for.
We only stayed in Amsterdam for couple of days and we could not go to other cities. The main goal however was for us to go to Istanbul and we get visas and buy plane tickets. We were expecting trouble going to Istanbul as the relationship between the US and Turkey was cold and they just opened visas between the two countries just a week before our travel dates.
Next destination: Istanbul
